Esther 5 Outlines

Esther’s
Banquet (v.1~8)

Haman’s
Plot Against Mordecai (v.9~14)

New King James Version
(NKJV)

Esther 5:1. Now it happened
on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in
the inner court of the king’s palace, across from the king’s house, while the
king sat on his royal throne in the royal house, facing the entrance of the
house.[a]

YLT 1And it cometh to pass on
the third day, that Esther putteth on royalty, and standeth in the inner-court
of the house of the king over-against the house of the king, and the king is
sitting on his royal throne, in the royal-house, over-against the opening of
the house,

Now it came to
pass on the third day,....

Of the fast; though the
former Targum paraphrases it the third day of the passover, the sixteenth of
Nisan; see Gill on Esther 4:17, though
it is probable this was nearer the time fixed for the destruction of the Jews,
see Esther 8:9, yet the
Jews have fixed the fast of Esther on that very day, the thirteenth of AdarF6Vid
Reland. Antiqu. Heb. par. 4. c. 13. sect. 5. :

that Esther put
on her royal apparel;

in order to go in to the
king, and appear before him; which to do in a mournful habit, such as she had
on when fasting, was not proper; for then she put off her royal crown, as is
intimated in the additions to the book of Esther,And upon the third day, when
she had ended her prayers, she laid away her mourning garments, and put on her
glorious apparel. (Esther 15:1)and as was
usual for princes to do in times of mourningF7Vid. Paschalium de
Coronis, l. 10. c. 11. p. 699. ; but now she put it on, as both Ben GorionF8Hist.
Heb. Jud. l. 2. c. 4. and the latter Targum affirm:

and stood in
the inner court of the king's house, over against the king's house;

into which none might go
but such as were called; yet Esther being queen, the keepers of the door could
not forbid her, as Aben Ezra observes:

and the king
sat upon his royal throne, in the royal house, over against the gate of the
house;

so that he could see
whoever came in at it, into the inner court.

Esther 5:2. 2 So
it was, when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, that she
found favor in his sight, and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter
that was in his hand. Then Esther went near and touched the top of the
scepter.

YLT 2and it cometh to pass, at
the king's seeing Esther the queen standing in the court, she hath received
grace in his eyes, and the king holdeth out to Esther the golden sceptre that
[is] in his hand, and Esther draweth near, and toucheth the top of the sceptre.

And it was so,
when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained
favour in his sight,....

Which no doubt was of God,
who has the hearts of kings in his hand, and turns them as he pleases; the king
had not called her for thirty days past, or more, which showed coolness of
affection to her, and now she transgressed a law by coming uncalled for, which
might have provoked his wrath; and for a lesser matter than this was Vashti
divorced; but yet his mind was inclined to her, and she appeared very amiable
and pleasing to him:

and the king
held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand;

as a token of his well
pleasedness in her, and acceptance of her; and that no harm should come to her
for transgressing the law:

so Esther drew
near, and touched the top of the sceptre;

as acknowledging his
kindness, and her thankfulness for it, as well as subjection and obedience to
him.

Esther 5:3. 3 And
the king said to her, “What do you wish, Queen Esther? What is your
request? It shall be given to you—up to half the kingdom!”

YLT 3And the king saith to her,
`What -- to thee Esther, O queen? and what thy request? unto the half of the
kingdom -- and it is given to thee.'

Then said the
king unto her, what wilt thou, Queen Esther?....

He supposed she had some
business with him, some suit to make to him, by her coming in this manner:

and what is thy
request?

signifying he was ready to
grant it, be it what it would:

it shall be
even given thee to the half of the kingdom;

as it was usual with the
Persian kings to give their wives cities for certain purposes; see Gill on Esther 2:18, here
Ahasuerus, out of his great affection to Esther, offers half of his dominions,
his one hundred and twenty seven provinces; meaning that he would grant her
anything, and everything that was reasonable, and even magnificent; it is an
hyperbolical and courtly way of speaking, and which has been used in later
times, and in other countries; see Mark 6:23.

Esther 5:4. 4 So
Esther answered, “If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come today to
the banquet that I have prepared for him.”

YLT 4And Esther saith, `If unto
the king [it be] good, the king doth come in, and Haman, to-day, unto the
banquet that I have made for him;'

And Esther
answered, if it seem good unto the king,....

She humbly submits it to
his pleasure, suggesting it would be exceeding grateful to her, could it be
granted:

let the king
and Haman come this day unto the banquet that I have prepared for him;

for the king; and
supposing it would be acceptable to him, and the rather engage him to come to
it, she invited his favourite; and chiefly, that she might have an opportunity
of accusing him before the king to his face, and when alone.

Esther 5:5. 5 Then
the king said, “Bring Haman quickly, that he may do as Esther has said.” So the
king and Haman went to the banquet that Esther had prepared.

YLT 5and the king saith, `Haste
ye Haman -- to do the word of Esther;' and the king cometh in, and Haman, unto
the banquet that Esther hath made.

Then the king
said, cause Haman to make haste, that he may do as Esther hath said,....

That is, he ordered some
of his servants to make haste and acquaint Haman with the queen's invitation,
and to press him to make haste to comply with it:

so the king and
Haman came to the banquet that Esther had prepared;

which was wisely done, to
prepare for what she had to say to the king, when cheerful with wine, and when
she had her adversary with him alone.

Esther 5:6. 6 At
the banquet of wine the king said to Esther, “What is your petition? It
shall be granted you. What is your request, up to half the kingdom? It
shall be done!”

YLT 6And the king saith to
Esther, during the banquet of wine, `What [is] thy petition? and it is given to
thee; and what thy request? unto the half of the kingdom -- and it is done.'

And the king
said unto Esther at the banquet of wine,....

For such it seems the
banquet was she prepared; it was not properly a meal, neither dinner nor
supper, but a drinking bout; or, however, it was at that part of the banquet in
which wine was drank that the king accosted Esther, when he began to be
cheerful with it. The Persians at their meals had two courses: the first
consisted of meats, &c. at which they drank water, the other of fruits,
when they drank wine; AelianusF9Var. Hist. l. 12. c. 1. says, the
Persians, after they are filled with food, indulge themselves in drinking wine:

what is thy
petition? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? even to the half
of the kingdom it shall be performed;

by which it appears he
retained the same affection for Esther, and the same disposition to show her
kindness. See Esther 5:3.

What she should for the
present make; the principal one she had to ask, for wise reasons, she still
deferred.

Esther 5:8. 8 If
I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it pleases the king to
grant my petition and fulfill my request, then let the king and Haman come to
the banquet which I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king
has said.”

YLT 8if I have found grace in
the eyes of the king, and if unto the king [it be] good, to give my petition,
and to perform my request, the king doth come, and Haman, unto the banquet that
I make for them, and to-morrow I do according to the word of the king.'

If I have found
favour in the sight of the king,....

Or, seeing she had; for it
was a clear case she had, both by his holding out the golden sceptre to her,
and by accepting her invitation to her banquet:

and if it
please the king to grant my petition, and to perform my request;

as he had been so gracious
as to promise in such a large and liberal manner as before expressed:

let the king
and Haman come to the banquet that I shall prepare for them;

the Targum says, in the
evening; but from Esther 5:12, it
appears to be on the morrow; and which agrees with what follows:

and I will do
tomorrow as the king hath said;

make her petition and
request to him; which she had deferred, partly in hope of still increasing his
affection to her, and partly to prepare him to expect something of moment and
importance to be asked of him. Jarchi restrains this to what he supposes the
king had often importuned her to tell, namely, who were her people and her
kindred.

Esther 5:9. 9 So
Haman went out that day joyful and with a glad heart; but when Haman saw
Mordecai in the king’s gate, and that he did not stand or tremble before him,
he was filled with indignation against Mordecai.

YLT 9And Haman goeth forth on
that day rejoicing and glad in heart, and at Haman's seeing Mordecai in the
gate of the king, and he hath not risen nor moved for him, then is Haman full
of fury against Mordecai.

Then went Haman
forth that day, joyful, and with a glad heart,....

From court to his own
house

but when Haman
saw Mordecai in the king's gate, that he stood not up, nor moved for him;

did not show him the least
degree even of civil respect; which he refused to do, partly lest it should be
interpreted an adoration of him, and partly because it was well known to him he
had formed a scheme for the destruction of him and all his people; and the
rather he refused it to him, as Esther was about to make intercession with the
king to revoke his decree, of the success of which he had no doubt; and
therefore had nothing to fear from him, but treated him with the utmost
contempt, as he deserved:

he was full of
wrath against Mordecai;

it was a sad mortification
to him, and a great allay of that joy and elation of mind on account of the
favour he was in; not with the king only, but the queen also, as he imagined.

Esther 5:10. 10 Nevertheless
Haman restrained himself and went home, and he sent and called for his friends
and his wife Zeresh.

YLT 10And Haman forceth himself,
and cometh in unto his house, and sendeth, and bringeth in his friends, and
Zeresh his wife,

Nevertheless
Haman refrained himself,....

From showing any outward
resentment to Mordecai, from laying hands upon him or taking revenge on him, as
being too much below him to avenge himself on a single person, when the whole
body of the people Mordecai belonged to would shortly feel the power of his
hand for such insolent treatment of him:

and when he
came home, he sent and called for his friends, and Zeresh his wife;

who, the Targum says, was
the daughter of Tatnai, the governor on the other side the river, Ezra 5:3.

Esther 5:11.
11 Then Haman told them of
his great riches, the multitude of his children, everything in which the king
had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and servants
of the king.

YLT 11and Haman recounteth to
them the glory of his wealth, and the abundance of his sons, and all that with
which the king made him great, and with which he lifted him up above the heads
and servants of the king.

And Haman told
them of the glory of his riches,....

Of the multitude of them;
which he did partly in a way of ostentation, and partly, if he could, to make
his mind easy under the mortification he received from Mordecai; and, it may
be, chiefly to aggravate his rudeness and ill behaviour towards him, a man of
so much wealth: and the multitude of his children; he had ten, as we learn from
Esther 9:10, but
the former Targum enlarges them, beyond credit, to the number of two hundred
and eight, besides his ten sons, and Shimshai the scribe; such were had in
great esteem with the Persians who had many children; to such the king used to
send gifts annuallyF11Herodot, Clio, sive, l. 1. c. 136. Strabo.
Geograph. l. 15. p. 504. :

and all the
things wherein the king had promoted him;

the high offices of honour
and trust he had put him into:

and how he had
advanced him above the princes and servants of the king.

Esther 5:12. 12 Moreover
Haman said, “Besides, Queen Esther invited no one but me to come in with the
king to the banquet that she prepared; and tomorrow I am again invited by her,
along with the king.

YLT 12And Haman saith, `Yea,
Esther the queen brought none in with the king, unto the feast that she made,
except myself, and also for to-morrow I am called to her, with the king,

Haman said,
moreover,....

To all which he added, and
what seemed to delight him most of all, or however was a new additional honour
done him:

yea, Esther the
queen did let no man come in with the king unto the banquet that she had
prepared but myself;

which he judged was doing
him singular honour; and, by the joint affection of the king and queen to him,
he thought himself established in his dignity and grandeur:

and tomorrow am
I invited unto her also with the king;

had been invited, not by a
messenger, but by the queen herself, which was a double honour.

Esther 5:13. 13 Yet
all this avails me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the
king’s gate.”

YLT 13and all this is not
profitable to me, during all the time that I am seeing Mordecai the Jew sitting
in the gate of the king.'

Yet all this
availeth me nothing,....

Is not equal or sufficient
for me; it gives me no satisfaction and contentment:

so long as I
see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate:

not rising up to bow unto
him; this single circumstance spoiled all his joy and pleasure.

Esther 5:14. 14 Then
his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Let a gallows be made, fifty
cubits high, and in the morning suggest to the king that Mordecai be hanged on
it; then go merrily with the king to the banquet.” And the thing pleased Haman;
so he had the gallows made.

YLT 14And Zeresh his wife saith
to him, and all his friends, `Let them prepare a tree, in height fifty cubits,
and in the morning speak to the king, and they hang Mordecai on it, and go thou
in with the king unto the banquet rejoicing;' and the thing is good before
Haman, and he prepareth the tree.

Then said
Zeresh his wife, and all his friends, unto him,....

His wife very probably
first moved it, and all his friends present approved of it and united in it:

let a gallows
be made, of fifty cubits, high;

that the person hanged
thereon might be seen at a distance, and so be a greater reproach to him, and a
terror to others, to take care they were not guilty of the same offence:
Cartalo was ordered by his father to be fixed to the highest cross in the sight
of the cityF12Justin e Trogo, l. 18. c. 7. Vid. l. 22. c. 7. ; and
it was usual for crosses to be erected very highF13Vid. Lipsium de
Cruce, l. 3. c. 13. both for that purpose, and for greater infamy and disgraceF14Suetonius
in Galba, c. 9. :

and tomorrow
speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon;

get a grant from him for
it; of which they made no doubt, since Haman had such an interest in him, and
had already obtained an order to destroy all Jews in his dominions:

then go thou in
merrily with the king unto the banquet;

eased of the burden of his
mind, and honoured to be a guest with the royal pair: